Gem in a box.

[Robbie Roberson]

A new thrift shop opens up near your home.

The owner appears to be watching you as you dig through a box of knives.

You notice the price on the box says $ 5.00 each. You also notice all the knives are cheapies...........until something catches your eye in the bottom.......was that an axis lock you saw ?

You frantically dig and scoop up a Benchmade Osborne design in seemingly perfect condition.

Would you say anything or would you pay the $ 5.00 and then mention it ?



Robbie Roberson

 

[Halfneck]

Pay my 5$ and run.

 

[Dijos]

Buy it. He/she obviously determined what its worth was to him. REally, aside from us, most folks wouldn't pay more than 5 buks for a knife at all, let alone a junk store find.

 

[22-rimfire]

Might just be the price is a box of cracker jacks! Honestly speaking, I would ask if he intended all the knives to be $5 each.

 

[Monocrom]

The way I see it, a bargain is a bargain! If the owner of the store sells an expensive knife for $5, I buy it for $5. But, I wouldn't humiliate him by telling him he had no clue what he was selling. I'd say, "Thank You" and walk out the door. But that's at a regular thrift store. If it was a charity or Help-the-Homeless type of thrift store, I'd pull the owner quietly aside and tell him what he has.... then I'd ask him for a fair price on the slightly used Benchmade.

 

[drano]

talk it down to 4 dollars and run to my truck screaming POPOZOW!

 

[orthogonal1]

Ask to verify, and if true, thank my lucky day (for a change).

 

[mr.trooper]

for(int i=0; i<100; i++)
{

cout << "The way I see it, a bargain is a bargain! If the owner of the store sells an expensive knife for $5, I buy it for $5. But, I wouldn't humiliate him by telling him he had no clue what he was selling. I'd say, "Thank You" and walk out the door. But that's at a regular thrift store. If it was a charity or Help-the-Homeless type of thrift store, I'd pull the owner quietly aside and tell him what he has.... then I'd ask him for a fair price on the slightly used Benchmade." << endl;

}

 

[meeker]

I was at a pawn shop and saw a new Emerson full size Commander bts laying next to well used BM Stryker. He wanted $25.00 for the Commander, and $40.00 for the Stryker. He got his $25.00!

 

[madcap_magician]

I would specifically ask how much they Osbourne was and just buy it.

 

[Keith Montgomery]

I would pay the $5.00 and not feel the least bit guilty.

 

[Grampa]

Hi Robbie

Are you saying you had such an experience? Or are you just dreaming about it?

 

[buckg]

I've seen way too many people who purchased things at estate sales for prices that were insanely low, only to turn around and resale that thing for fifty times what they paid for it. That's taking advantage of people. And it's wrong. I believe in paying a fair price. If someone doesn't know the value of what they're selling, I tell them and pay them a fair price. It helps me sleep. There was a time when I wasn't nearly so honorable. I guess I'm just trying to balance the scales a little.

 

[Gryffin]

I actually found myself in that position about a year ago, only it was a gorgeous old Schrade Walden muskrat. I didn't have the heart to just pay the $3 and run, so I gave him $10 for it, and pointed out to him how a couple of old rotting celluloid knives in the box were liable to rust the whole lot.

I still got a hellacious bargain, and he probably took the time to learn a bit more about those old knives; everybody wins! :thumbup:

 

[David Schott]

I bought a jewelry box for my GF at a yard sale for 3$ and when i went to replace the felt, found a Hank AAron baseball card under the old felt that someone must have hidden that I turned and sold for 300$ on ebay in a week.

(I never told her!)

 

[ahgar]

I'm an idiot and my wife tells me that all the time. I'd have to tell the guy the knife was worth quite a bit more than $5 of course if he still would sell it for $5 then i'd pay it and run screaming out the door lilke a little girl. I've been in a similar situation before and every time the owner sold it for the marked price. I figure if you're honest with them then someday when i screw up someone will be honest with me. karma is a bear. later, ahgar

 

[FullerH]

I agree with Mr. Trooper. This is for a charity and I would have taken one of the shop people aside and said that the knife was worth a good deal more than $5.00 and then made them an offer of what I thought the knife to be worth.

 

[Nordic Viking]

Tell him the knife is only worth about $3.75, if he lowers the price I would be honest. If he says, "tough" then I would "moan", pay up and leave.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

Just buy the box.

 

[Dog of War]

Unfortunately the way many thrift shops operate they provide little or no good to the charity sponsoring them. If we're talking one of the legitimate ones, I would certainly tell them that the knife is worth more, maybe offer them a better price .... and if what I'm offering is still a bit of a bargain for me I'd tell them that as well.

But if it's one of the many thrift stores that pays a pathetic flat fee to the charity while the store owner is raking it in (I've known people in this business BTW) I'd snap up the bargain.